Rim protectors for my alloys

[Sundance]

Just wondering if anyone has any views or preferably experience with the different makes out there.

Rimblades seem good value, appear easy to fit (YouTube) and have different options for different alloys.  AlloyGators seem more rugged, not so easy to fit (YouTube) and don't appear to look very subtle but then they may be more effective.  Costs seem pretty similar.

 Or are there any other makes worth investigating at reasonable cost ... ?

[Mr Vlad]

Funnily I saw a jag x type with rim protectors on. They looked rather good. As for which ones and they cost the same then I doubt there's any difference. Once damaged then that's it. Replace them. As far as I've seen to fit them you have to let quite a bit of air out of the tyre so that the protector can be hammered in easier. I've been thinking about them after I had my wheels powder coated some months back. Ruddy scuffed one recently and defo not happy with myself. 

[Sundance]

The ones that need hammering ('soft' hammer obviously) to apply with tyre pressure released are the AlloyGators as they seem to be more of a 'wrap-around' to the rim edge.  Rimblades seem to be different as they rely more on adhesive to press against the rim edge surface with minimal if no wrap-around.

Sounds all very technical (not!) and I'm veering towards the Rimblades as I too have recently scuffed offside front 😢 (such a horrible noise!) but mine are gloss black coated so any such stupid careless unnecessary annoying ridiculous damage is magnified when you look at it!  So far I've managed a permanent black marker pen to distract me but more is definitely needed. 🙄

[LenT]

5 hours ago, Sundance said:

 AlloyGators seem more rugged, not so easy to fit (YouTube) and don't appear to look very subtle but then they may be more effective. 

When I got the Lexus it was my first experience of low profile tyres on alloys. It was winter and the kerbs were hidden by snow.  Unfortunately not hidden from the rims, which found them in the first weeks.  Our local ChipsAway guy did a splendid repair job, but at £90 (inc. VAT) a wheel it was going to prove an expensive hobby.

With low kerbs, narrow country lanes and deep potholes to face, alloys live a tough life in these parts.  The guy who did my detailing was already on his third claim against the local road authority for alloy damage by unreported potholes.

So two years ago I had a set of black Alloygators fitted for £120 and they've definitely paid for themselves. Now I'm not really aware of any kerbing, as it would be silent anyway.  But if I see a scuff on the Alloygator I just think of the rim repair that I've been saved!  The plastic rim can in fact be smoothed down if any scuff is too obvious.

Some people do refer to stories of Alloygators coming off and marking the bodywork, or collecting grime under the Alloygator, but that's not anything I've heard of or experienced myself.   When I did bump a kerb and moved the Alloygator slightly off the rim, I just deflated the tyre and tapped it back with a soft-faced mallet.  I did it on the car but it's probably easier if you take the wheel off and lay it flat.

You can get all the bits from Alloygator - the rims, the joining pieces and the fixing glue - but it does require special clippers to cut to length and punch the fixing holes into the ends of the plastic.  Hence I preferred to get them fitted!  I chose black to blend in with the tyre, but the more fashion-conscious of you could opt for a contrasting colour and make a feature of them! 

I have seen that one fitter suggests that they should be replaced about every two years - well, they would, wouldn't they.  But it is something I will probably get done.

Alternatively, of course, you can always drive around and never go anywhere near a kerb or pothole.  Good luck with that!

 

[Guest bigbullhead]

Brake dust ruins  the rimblades I took mine off and one came off 

[Las Palmas]

Would not choose Rimblades.

[Rabbers]

While waiting for an alignment check at a tyres/alloys shop in Denmark a few years ago, I learned from a chat with the owner that his sales

of AlloyGators, of which he was a stockist, were so good that he was negotiating for a bigger sales area.  His optimism regarding potential

sales was based on the fact that, contrary to his original expectations, the customers wanting to hide pre-existing damage to their rims were

more numerous than those looking to get protection from new, the latter being a smaller market.

[LenT]

7 minutes ago, Rabbers said:

While waiting for an alignment check at a tyres/alloys shop in Denmark a few years ago, I learned from a chat with the owner that his sales

of AlloyGators, of which he was a stockist, were so good that he was negotiating for a bigger sales area.  His optimism regarding potential

sales was based on the fact that, contrary to his original expectations, the customers wanting to hide pre-existing damage to their rims were

more numerous than those looking to get protection from new, the latter being a smaller market.

An interesting observation.

From my own experience, if the kerbing damage is indeed restricted to the rim, then fitted a set of Alloygators is significantly cheaper than having the alloys repaired.  It might well be a useful option when selling the car.

[Mincey]

This has made me remember something. Many years ago I was driving down the A14 while it was being upgraded (40mph limits - such fun) and a disc, the size of a wheel and like one of those frisbees you'd throw for a dog (more hooplike than solid) was kicked up from the road by the van in front and bounced across my bonnet and up and over the windscreen. It left a fair few scratches on the bonnet and I've always wondered what it was. Could it have been one of these rim protectors?

[LenT]

1 hour ago, Mincey said:

This has made me remember something. Many years ago I was driving down the A14 while it was being upgraded (40mph limits - such fun) and a disc, the size of a wheel and like one of those frisbees you'd throw for a dog (more hooplike than solid) was kicked up from the road by the van in front and bounced across my bonnet and up and over the windscreen. It left a fair few scratches on the bonnet and I've always wondered what it was. Could it have been one of these rim protectors?

So that's where it went!

But seriously....a dislodged Alloygator would not, I think, look anything like a frisbee.  It's basically a very thin strip of plastic that's joined into a loop by another short plastic strip.  Once the ends are joined I would think it's very difficult for the strip to come off the rim intact.  This is because, as far as I can see, when the strip is malleted onto the rim and the ends joined, it is then shorter than the length required to completely remove it from the rim.

Kerbing can certainly move the strip slightly away from the rim.  But whether that could be enough to leave the rim completely, not so sure.  Especially if the joining strip is intact.  In any case, glancing at the wheels before driving off will always give an early warning of possible trouble.

If the joint failed than possibly the strip could come off the rim, but as an obvious length of plastic.

 

 

[Sundance]

4 hours ago, Las Palmas said:

Would not choose Rimblades.

... any particular reason John?  Or might you change your mind tomorrow ... 😄

[Las Palmas]

Just now, Sundance said:

... any particular reason John?  Or might you change your mind tomorrow ... 😄

saw the video and it was glued on. The gator is hammered in and might be sitting longer time and standing a bit more abuse. Not that I need one now, as waiting for rim contact with curb before I let the wheel repair and paint in either colour of car or black. Both cases a black gator may be hammered in.

[Mincey]

1 hour ago, LenT said:

So that's where it went!

But seriously....a dislodged Alloygator would not, I think, look anything like a frisbee.  It's basically a very thin strip of plastic that's joined into a loop by another short plastic strip.  Once the ends are joined I would think it's very difficult for the strip to come off the rim intact.  This is because, as far as I can see, when the strip is malleted onto the rim and the ends joined, it is then shorter than the length required to completely remove it from the rim.

Kerbing can certainly move the strip slightly away from the rim.  But whether that could be enough to leave the rim completely, not so sure.  Especially if the joining strip is intact.  In any case, glancing at the wheels before driving off will always give an early warning of possible trouble.

If the joint failed than possibly the strip could come off the rim, but as an obvious length of plastic.

 

 

Thanks Len - I've not seen rim protectors before so I clearly put 2 and 2 together and got 7!

[LenT]

6 minutes ago, Mincey said:

Thanks Len - I've not seen rim protectors before so I clearly put 2 and 2 together and got 7!

You don’t work for the Inland Revenue, do you?

[Mincey]

30 minutes ago, LenT said:

You don’t work for the Inland Revenue, do you?

I may have missed my true vocation in life...!

[LenT]

1 hour ago, Las Palmas said:

saw the video and it was glued on. The gator is hammered in and might be sitting longer time and standing a bit more abuse. Not that I need one now, as waiting for rim contact with curb before I let the wheel repair and paint in either colour of car or black. Both cases a black gator may be hammered in.

That’s exactly right, John.  I chose Alloygators over Rimblades because I too thought that a system that relied on gluing was not going to be as easy to replace or rectify if a problem occurred.

If you want to replace a Rimblade, then you surely have to remove all traces of the previous adhesive before you can fit a new one.  That’s probably as popular as cleaning out a tyre after using the sealant kit!

 

[Las Palmas]

1 hour ago, LenT said:

If you want to replace a Rimblade, then you surely have to remove all traces of the previous adhesive before you can fit a new one.  That’s probably as popular as cleaning out a tyre after using the sealant kit!

 

If you want to use the sealant kit without the sticky latex in it (workshops replacing tyres charge extra if such things are in the tyre here) all you need to do is empty the stuff in the kit and buy Quadboss sealant. It can be washed away with water and seals as good as latex mixed solutions.

https://quadboss.com/tire-sealant

I have used it in mountainbike and it does not dry out like latex does. Have 3 bikes and in one of them, I use seldom, I needed a new tire and the sealant in it was still liquid though it has been in there more than 1½ year.

[OldTrout]

I wish I had known about these when I first got my car. I hardly ever touch the kerb now.

Can tyres be replaced with Alligators in place?

John

[LenT]

1 hour ago, OldTrout said:

I wish I had known about these when I first got my car. I hardly ever touch the kerb now.

Can tyres be replaced with Alligators in place?

John

Yes John.  They can.

[Sundance]

Interesting, thanks for your input guys, looks like AlloyGators are winning the battle over Rimblades. 🙂